Author: damazah@gmail.com

The once-glittering international cricket career of Marnus Labuschagne is on the ropes after he was dropped from the ODI side, even if chair of selectors George Bailey made it clear he remains in contention for the Test side.Labuschagne was dropped from Australia’s white-ball touring party to Zimbabwe and South Africa, a squad named with next year’s ODI World Cup in mind.Australia play six ODIs in Zimbabwe and South Africa later this month before the highly-anticipated three-Test series against the Proteas in October. Selectors on Tuesday named a group of 17 for the ODI series, noting a squad for the Test…

Abi has emerged as the new Head of House in the ongoing Big Brother Naija Season 11 after defeating her fellow housemates in a series of challenging games. The housemates faced several tasks, including the fan-the-fishes game and other physical and mental challenges, before Abi and Gerard advanced to the final round. The final contest saw both housemates battle it out in a Sudoku game, with Abi completing the challenge ahead of Gerard to claim the Head of House title. The victory marks another HoH triumph for Abi, who has continued to prove her strength in the season’s leadership challenges.…

Opponents of Madrid’s newly constructed Formula One circuit have accused the regional authorities of putting profit before people’s wellbeing after tests for the inaugural Spanish Grand Prix at the track later this month yielded noise levels that were almost twice the legal decibel limit.The regional government of Madrid and the city council are hoping that the 5.4km-long (3.3 miles) Madring circuit – which has been built in the north-east of the Spanish capital at a cost of €83m (£71m) – will attract visitors, boost the local economy and put the city firmly on the motor racing map. The Madring bills…

Shares in fast-fashion giant Shein fell in their highly anticipated stock market debut on Tuesday as the firm listed in Hong Kong after a long quest to go public.It comes after failed attempts to list in the US and UK, as concerns were raised over issues including Shein’s labour practices and its environmental impact.Once estimated to be worth nearly $100bn (£74bn), Shein is now valued at around a quarter of that figure, as the firm faces other challenges like heated competition and trade tensions.Shein became hugely popular, especially among younger people, due to its ability to source the very latest…

The lightest Bentley since 1941 The engine is actually a new variant of Bentley’s 4.0 L V8, with a strengthened engine block, new cylinder heads, and larger turbos. There’s also a dual-mass flywheel, but it remains wet-sumped. With 657 hp (490 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm), the Supersports isn’t the most powerful Bentley ever made, but it may be the most driver-focused. Both front and rear axles feature 48 V active anti-roll bars that can react in a third of a second, applying up to 960 lb-ft (1,300 Nm) of reaction torque to keep the car flat. The twin-valve…

The Conservatives and Reform UK, however, are preparing to attack his policies, questioning how they will be funded and whether there will be new tax rises.Kemi Badenoch reshuffled her shadow cabinet team on Monday in preparation for this moment. To sharpen her party’s attacks on Labour over its handling of tax and the economy she promoted Andrew Griffith to be her new shadow chancellor.The Conservatives are making much of his past jobs in business. Before entering politics he was chief financial officer and chief operating officer at Sky, and chair of Just Eat.He is promising a Conservative government that would…

The latest scandal involving fake government agencies and ghost workers should not be dismissed as another corruption story in Nigeria’s seemingly endless catalogue of public-sector abuses. It is better to treat it as a critical inquiry into the quality of governance. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s decision to order a comprehensive forensic audit of the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), federal agencies and related government systems is therefore timely. The audit, to be coordinated by Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Taiwo Oyedele, is expected to examine payroll records, personnel and pension systems, bank accounts, government agencies and…

World champion Wu Yize set up an intriguing second-round tie against former Crucible winner Kyren Wilson at the British Open after both won their opening matches.China’s Wu beat compatriot Liu Hongyu 4-3 in Cheltenham, while 2024 world champion Wilson was a 4-1 winner against Austria’s Florian Nuessle.Last year’s British Open champion Shaun Murphy was joined by Ding Junhui, Barry Hawkins, Judd Trump and John Higgins in progressing to the second round.However, three-time world champion Mark Williams lost 4-0 to David Gilbert, world number two Neil Robertson fell 4-1 to Pang Junxu, and 2023 world champion Luca Brecel fell 4-3 to…

A pre-trial hearing is set for 19 October. Lawyers Blair Berk, Marilyn Bednarski and Regina Peter said in a statement to the BBC that the court had granted their request to withdraw from the case and had appointed the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office to represent the singer. The statement said that D4vd “qualified for appointed counsel”.”We continue to support David and his defence against these serious charges,” they said. “We are grateful that the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has taken over the representation and that David has a highly capable and committed team of attorneys and…

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov has made a surprise appearance at United States-hosted G20 finance talks in North Carolina, sparking frustration and dismay among European ministers and officials.Siluanov’s appearance at the talks in Asheville on Monday marks the first time the minister, who was appointed in 2011, has attended a G20 meeting in person since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listHe held a bilateral meeting with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, with Russia’s Ministry of Finance saying the two men discussed financial cooperation within the G20 framework.A US official said…